Professor of Genetics
Ph.D. (1973) Yale University

Phone: 706-542-1444
Email: meagher@uga.edu

Research in the Meagher Lab

A plant molecular genetics laboratory conducting research on the cytoskeleton, phytoremediation, evolution of gene families, immunology, and RNA processes.

Lab Members

Awards

???

Research Interests

The laboratory examines the molecular genetics and evolution of plant gene expression. Actin and actin-binding proteins like profilin are encoded by ancient gene families in plants. Recent experiments have shown that the diverse actin genes are differentially expressed in unique subsets of cell types, tissues, and organs of Arabidopsis and that the actin proteins are functionally different. A separate project focuses on the central role of the differentially expressed plant poly (A)-binding protein family in building the post-transcriptional apparatus. Mechanisms for the phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution are being explored. Plants which metabolize ionic- and methyl-mercury have been engineered.

Selected Publications

Meagher, R.B. 2006. Plants tackle explosive contamination. Nat. Biotechnol. In Press.

Dhankher, O., Rosen, B., Shokes, J., Scott, R., McKinney, E. and Meagher, R. 2006. Increased arsenic uptake by plants knocked down for an endogenous arsenate reductase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. In Press.

Deal, R.B., Kandasamy, M.K., McKinney, E.C. and Meagher, R.B. 2005. The Nuclear Actin-Related Protein ARP6 Is a Pleiotropic Developmental Regulator Required for the Maintenance of FLOWERING LOCUS C Expression and Repression of Flowering in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 17: 2633-2646.

Heaton, A., Rugh, C. and Meagher, R. 2005. Physiological Responses of Transgenic merA-Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) to Foliar and Root Mercury Exposure. Water, Air, Soil Pollu. In Press.

Kandasamy, M.K., Deal, R.B., McKinney, E.C. and Meagher, R.B. 2005a. Silencing the nuclear actin-related protein AtARP4 in Arabidopsis has multiple effects on plant development, including early flowering and delayed floral senescence. Plant J 41: 845-58.

Kandasamy, M.K., McKinney, E.C., Deal, R.B. and Meagher, R.B. 2005b. ARP7 is an essential actin-related protein required for embryo development and its knockdown affects plant architecture and flower senescence in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 138: 2019-2032.

Kim, T., Balish, R.S., Heaton, A.C.P., McKinney, E.C. and Meagher, R.B. 2005. Engineering a Root-Specific, Repressor-Operator Gene Complex. Plant Biotech 3: 571-582.

Li, Y., Dhankher, O., Carreira, L., Balish, R. and Meagher, R. 2005. Engineered overexpression of g-glutamylcysteine synthetase in plants confers high level arsenic and mercury tolerance. Env Tox & Chem 24: 1376-1386.

McCaig, B.M., Meagher, R.B. and Dean, J.F.D. 2005. Gene structure and molecular analysis of the laccase-like multicopper oxidase (LMCO) gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana. Planta In Press.

Meagher, R.B., Deal, R.B., Kandasamy, M.K. and McKinney, E.C. 2005b. Nuclear actin-related proteins as epigenetic regulators of development. Plant Physiol 139: 1576-85.

Meagher, R.B. and Heaton, A.C. 2005. Strategies for the engineered phytoremediation of toxic element pollution: mercury and arsenic. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 32: 502-13.

Meagher, R.B., Kim, T., Smith, A.P. and Heaton, A.C.P. 2005d. Designing plants for the remediation mercury- and arsenic-polluted soils and water. In: McKeon, T., (ed) Designing Industrial Crops, pp. ACS Books.

Pawloski, L.C., Deal, R.B., McKinney, E.C., Burgos-Rivera, B. and Meagher, R.B. 2005. Inverted repeat PCR for the rapid assembly of constructs to induce RNA interference. Plant Cell Physiol 46: 1872-8.

Zimeri, A.M., Dhankher, O.P., McCaig, B. and Meagher, R.B. 2005. The plant MT1 metallothioneins are stabilized by binding cadmiums and are required for cadmium tolerance and accumulation. Plant Mol Biol 58: 839-55.

Kandasamy, M.K., Deal, R.B., McKinney, E.C. and Meagher, R.B. 2004. Plant actin-related proteins. Trends Plant Sci 9: 196-202.

Li, Y., Dhankher, O., Carreira, L., Lee, D., Chen, A., Schroeder, J., Balish, R. and Meagher, R. 2004. Overexpression of phytochelatin synthase in Arabidopsis leads to enhanced arsenic tolerance and cadmium sensitivity. Plant & Cell Physiol. 45: 1787-1797.

Gilliland, L.U., Pawloski, L.C., Kandasamy, M.K. and Meagher, R.B. 2003. Arabidopsis actin gene ACT7 plays an essential role in germination and root growth. Plant J 33: 319-28.

Liu, R., Ferrenberg, A.M., Gilliland, L.U. and Meagher, R.B. 2003. Detection of deleterious genotypes in multigenerational studies. III. Estimation of selection components in highly selfing populations. Genetical Research 82: 41-53.

Meagher, R.B. and Fechheimer, M. 2003. The Cytoskeletal Proteome of Arabidopsis. In: Meyerowitz, E. and Somerville, C., (ed) Arabidopsis, pp. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY.

Vitale, A., Wu, R.J., Cheng, Z. and Meagher, R.B. 2003. Multiple conserved 5' elements are required for high-level pollen expression of the Arabidopsis reproductive actin ACT1. Plant Mol Biol 52: 1135-51.

Kandasamy, M.K., McKinney, E.C., and Meagher, R.B. 2003. Cell cycle dependent association of Arabidopsis actin-related proteins AtARP4 and AtARP7 with the nucleus. Plant Journal 33:939-948.

Bizily, S., Kim, T., Kandasamy, M. K., and Meagher, R. B. (2003). Subcellular targeting of methylmercury lyase enhances its specific activity for organic mercury detoxification in plants. Plant Physiol 131, 463-471.

Che, D. S., Meagher, R. B., Heaton, A. C. P., Lima, A., and Merkle, S. A. (2003). Expression of mercuric ion reductase in eastern cottonwood confers mercuric ion reduction and resistance. Plant Biotech In Press.

Dhankher, O. P., Rosen, B. P., Fuhrman, M., and Meagher, R. B. (2003). Increased cadmium tolerance and accumulation by plants expressing bacterial arsenate reductase. New Phytologist In Press.

Heaton, A., Rugh, C., Kim, R., Wang, J., and Meagher, R. (2003). Toward detoxifying mercury-polluted aquatic sediments using rice genetically-engineered for mercury resistance. Env Tox & Chem In press.

Cobbett, C., and Meagher, R. (2003). Phytoremediation and the Arabidopsis proteome. In Arabidopsis, E. Meyerowitz, and C. Somerville, eds. (Cold Spring Harbor, NY, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press), pp. In press.